View Before You Go - Archeological Sites on Google Earth

August 29, 2012

We use Google Earth a lot. There is a feature that allows you to see your desired location from the street. This is a very useful tool, and can become quite addicting. Make sure you have enough time before you test this great planning feature out. Time has a way of zooming by when using this tool.

Anyway, we learned that the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and Google Mexico teamed up about 4 years ago to create street views of 81 archeological finds that are under the control and protection of the INAH. This is a very ambitious project, and we are thrilled with the results.

Included in the archaeological sites that are available to visit electronically are:

• Teotihuacan and its four neighborhoods (State of Mexico)
• Xochicalco (Morelos)
• Monte Alban (Oaxaca)
• Dzibilchaltún Chichen Itza (Yucatan)
• Tulum (Quintana Roo)
• Tula ( Hidalgo)
• Cholula (Puebla)
• El Tajin (Veracruz)
• Palenque and Bonampak (Chiapas)
• Paquimé (Chihuahua)
• Cuicuilco (Mexico City)

Google created a three wheeled vehicle to use as it photographic platform. It allows the photographer to enter non-paved and difficult to reach corners of historic properties. The result is the compilation of who knows how many photographs to get the images of famous archeological sites in Mexico we can see through Google Earth.

So, give us an example, you say? OK, following is an image of Chichen Itza in Yucatan:



This is a view of Monte Alban in Oaxaca:



Here is a view of Tulum in Quintana Roo:



You can see this tool is incredible. It gives us the ability to view what archeological sites actually look like and plan before you leave your home.

Enjoy, and we hope to see photos of your excursions soon...

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